Indeed, personal safety is a big question mark right now in Pakistan, particularly for Americans. The current US State Department Travel Warning cites "regional tensions and continued security concerns about terrorism" as reasons for all US Citizens "to defer travel to Pakistan." US Citizens already in the country are "urged to depart."
To be sure, the warning may or may not be relevant to would-be hunters because of where most hunts take place - namely, in tribal areas where local governors, or princes, hold sway. Hunters go into the areas as the personal guests of local officials. As you'll read farther on, that makes some booking agents comfortable and gives others the jitters. You'll have to read both sides and judge for yourself who you want to believe.
First, though, a general review of Pakistan as a hunting destination is in order. For that, we're indebted to Ghulam Ali Awan, a PhD student in Environmental Biology at Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad. Ghulaam Ali Awan is currently conducting research on wild sheep in different areas of Pakistan. He tells us he has personally visited many of the areas where trophy hunting is conducted in Pakistan.
The species currently available for trophy hunting in Pakistan, he says, are Blanford, Afghan and Punjab urials; Sind and Himalayan ibex; and Souleiman, Kashmir and Astor markhor. Pakistan is the only country in the world where markhor may be hunted legally. Unfortunately, this species is not yet importable into the United States, although John Jackson of Conservation........(continued)
